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Chapter 16: New Classes and Professors
"It's been well over a week...we have to do something!" Sirius exclaimed as they were having breakfast in the Great Hall.
"What are you talking about?" Remus lifted his head from the book about runes he had been reading.
"What are you getting so worked up about? we haven't gotten in trouble yet since the school year started, Isn't that a good thing?." Peter commented as he added more food to his plate.
"That's because we haven't done anything yet!" Sirius said. "Other than James trying to pick a fight with my cousin Bella again."
"I never tried to pick a fight with her." James corrected him. He had just been unfortunate.
"Yesterday, you almost made her fall off her broom," Peter reminded him.
"That was an accident. I didn't see her as I was flying around. She shouldn't have been so high up anyway," James responded. It was true that he had several miserable encounters with Bellatrix Black since the year started, but he hadn't planned for any of that.
"But don't change the subject... we have to do something!" Sirius insisted.
"What is he talking about?" James decided to ask the most rational member of their group.
"He's talking about pranks," Remus said, lifting his head from the book and looking at James. "Normally, it would have been you organizing a few pranks by now. But..."
James then realized. He was supposed to be the most mischievous of the group. Sirius would often help him with his plans, while Remus and Peter mostly followed along.
But with his sudden change in personality, this had left Sirius as the only one craving some action.
"So… you want me to come up with some pranks?" James asked.
"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed. "You have something planned, right? Or at least some ideas. You always had the best ideas."
James made a troubled expression. He knew nothing about that kind of stuff. He barely remembered seeing the Weasley twins and their pranks.
Of course, as a Master Alchemist, he could concoct countless potions that could have some eye-catching effects without any permanent repercussions.
"I may be able to do something," James finally said. "But I'll need some time to prepare."
"You do?!" Sirius looked at him with anticipation.
James nodded. "I'll just need a few… oh, it's already here." He saw an owl entering the Hall and flying directly to him.
The bird landed with a large package right in front of James.
"What did you order?" Sirius asked.
"Is it something for school?" Peter asked after scanning the label on the box. It was from a well-known potion shop in Diagon Alley.
"Did you forget some utensils?" Remus looked at the box with curiosity.
Noticing all the eyes on him, James used his wand to reduce the box's size and weight before storing it inside his pocket. "I'll tell you about it later."
"Right…" Sirius also realized that almost everyone at the table was looking at them. It was unusual to get deliveries so early in the year.
"Can't you tell us what it is? Something that you couldn't buy in Hogsmeade the other day?" Peter asked.
"I'll show you tonight. It's almost time for class," James promised them as he gave the owl a piece of meat.
The classes for that day went by relatively quietly, although, as Sirius had said, Lily was constantly glancing toward him.
She didn't say anything, but to James, it was obvious there was something she had been meaning to ask him.
The stares made him uncomfortable, but he was willing to wait until she made up her mind about whatever she wanted to say.
Just as James was about to be thankful that today he didn't have any unfortunate encounters with Bellatrix, since they didn't have any classes with the Slytherins, he noticed some green-robed students making their way toward the inner gardens, where they were about to have their first Care of Magical Creatures class.
"Oh…we have the class with them?." Sirius frowned deeply when he noticed that.
"That's strange. Last year, we had this class with the Hufflepuffs," Peter commented. "I wonder why they changed it."
Remus was missing, just like Lily and Alice. All of them were currently in Arithmancy class.
James and Peter had been convinced last year to take this particular class instead because Sirius had heard that it was very easy to get an Outstanding grade.
"Whoa… what is she doing here?" Sirius's eyes moved to the last person in the Slytherin group.
James couldn't blame him for his shock. The last person he expected to be in Care of Magical Creatures was... Bellatrix Black.
'Never thought she could show interest in magical creatures...' James thought.
Peter didn't say anything for fear of being heard but still nodded his head.
Bellatrix was not the type of person that one would imagine taking care of another living creature. She was more likely to kill them instead.
"Ah, welcome!" Professor Silvanus Kettleburn greeted them with excitement.
He looked like a very cheerful middle-aged man with a very eye-catching appearance. Instead of the typical professor robes, he wore ones made of leather and tough fabric. He had an eyepatch over his left eye and an advanced-looking prosthetic hand.
"Another professor with a missing limb?" Sirius couldn't help but point out.
They had two new professors, and they were both 'incomplete' as a way of speaking.
"Is this class going to be dangerous this year?" Peter looked nervous. Most of the creatures they had studied last year were harmless, but seeing the rough appearance of Professor Kettleburn was making him consider changing classes.
"Didn't we have another professor last year?" someone commented.
"Yeah, what happened to Professor… what was his name?" another said.
Professor Kettleburn made a gesture for them to get closer. "Ah, yes. I'm afraid I have bad news about your previous professor…"
"What happened?" the students asked.
"He got eaten by a dragon," Professor Kettleburn suddenly said.
"What?!" Peter almost fell on his butt.
The professor began to laugh. "I was joking with you all. Professor Augustus is alive."
Before the students could complain about his poor taste in humor, the professor added something else.
" However, he's in Azkaban for killing his wife."
There was silence after that.
"I bet you guys now wish he had been eaten by a dragon instead, huh?" The professor chuckled.
'What a strange man…' James thought.
He had met a large number of people in his life, but going by first impressions alone, this one was likely one of the strangest.
"Now, get closer!" the professor said as he opened the ceramic urns at his side. "We are going to study the wonderful flobberworms!" he said with enthusiasm.
"Definitely strange…" James muttered.
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